To me, music is love and this quote from Bono sums it up so well: “Music can change the world because it can change people.”

That’s what love does – it changes you, deep inside. Imagine a world where our first thought was to love… To put others first and truly want to see others thrive in their hopes and dreams…. What would our world look like?

Growing up, I was truly blessed to live in a household where I was encouraged to try anything without fear – that’s how I got my start in music. My parents supported me in anything my heart desired and they were active in helping me achieve those desires. I was singing & writing songs at an early age and was flooded with encouragement and support.

It’s unfortunate and breaks my heart that such support isn’t the case for everyone. What keeps this from being the norm? Imagine if true love & empathy were at the core of our world…..

Music changed me. It touched and still touches my soul in a way that makes my world stop. It makes the simplest vocal line melt me and bring me to tears. It takes a strong drum and bass groove and lights a fire in my heart that feels like lightning running through my veins. That’s what living your hopes and dreams feels like.

It’s not always easy and the greatest things in life usually take a lot of effort, a supportive team, and unadulterated passion and drive. Let love flow from you. Be the positive, support for those in your life that need it and you’ll be amazed at how you’ll see in your own life that you’ll go from “surviving” to truly LIVING!

I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the community that surrounds me who are filled with life – they fill me with life. Have you ever hung out with someone who had an accent and by the end of the day you start to feel yourself speaking with a bit of an accent? It’s contagious and love is just like that – contagious!

Growing up, 1 plus 1 equaled 3 to me – still does to this day. I see the world differently and am so glad that I was encouraged and told it was awesome to just be “me”. It’s awesome for you to be you!

If you have never been told that before, then I’m telling you now – just be yourself and start living! Never heard anyone encourage you to chase your hopes and dreams? Then, as cheesy as it sounds, our band is behind you 100%!

Matt Borck is the lead singer & guitarist for the Langley, Canada band YUCA. He is a husband, new father and friend with a passion for music and encouraging others to pursue their hopes and dreams. After living in the UK and arriving back home in BC Canada Matt asked his wife an expansive question: “Are you okay if I pursue my dream of being a musician?” The answer was YES!

Matt has been performing around the world with YUCA for over 8 years and had the pleasure of doing so with amazing band mates – the right combination of dreamers! Along the way, career highlights have been being singled out over hundreds of bands for distinguished awards by leading Canadian stations 99.3FM and 100.5FM; performing multiple times for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics; and having a song picked for Playstation3, Xbox360 Vancouver Olympics 2010 Video Game. YUCA has also built a robust national and international profile based on their mesmerizing and goose-bump inducing live show experience.

This past month has seen Matt and band mates release the much anticipated new album Rebuilding The Fallen Empire (Rising Empire Records) on their second tour this year to Japan - a dream come true for YUCA.

Matt says: “We always heard we could do whatever we dreamed, and we want to give that back to the audience. We want our music to be the voice of encouragement and support for all to pursue their dreams.”